The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Black

  • World celebrates Black History Month

    World celebrates Black History Month

    The annual African fashion, London event in Europe, Africa Fashion Week London founded by Queen Aderonke Ademiluyi Ogunwusi is ready to showcase the best of Africa this year. The classy event which will take place in October is being packaged in collaboration with Black History and Lifestyle Awards initiator, Aziada Folashade Balogun.

    According to Q Aderonke Ademiluyi  Ogunwusi, founder of African Fashion Week, London, African Fashion Week Nigeria, Co-founder of African Fashion Week Brazil, and the CEO of the Adire Odua textile training hub, this is going to be a massive event.

    ‘There is this African saying that says when you want to walk fast, you walk alone but when you want to walk far, you walk with other people. That is what we decided to do this year. We were privileged to attend Mrs Balogun’s event last year and that was where the conversation started from. She wanted to have the event to celebrate Black History Month and we had an ongoing event already and we both said instead of doing things independently, why don’t we come together and showcase Africa to the world.”

    According to Balogun, “AFWL has been in existence for 12 years and this is their 13th year and it is going to be a huge event in London. For us at Black History and Lifestyle awards started a couple of years ago and we have done our own events. This year the two big giant brands are collaborating together to have a fantastic event in London.

    Read ALso:Blackmailer threatening to leak my nudes, says skitmaker Lizzy Jay

    October is Black History Month in London and we are trying to change the narratives from slavery and all that. We will be showcasing our heritage, and our culture as well as also letting people know that black-owned businesses have come to stay. Here we will be looking at the achievements of black people from the 1st of October to October 31st “.

    Balogun adds: “ House of Sota is going to be on the runway and the collection for the show is called Igele. We have three names joined together for the collections, the South African name, Igbo and Yoruba names this actually means the same thing for the collections that House of Sota will be showcasing.  It is a new collection”.

    The nominations for the awards are still ongoing but we have different categories including Best Designer, those who have supported the black and creative industry as well as a special recognition award. One of the things we are trying to showcase is that we have Celebrities walk on the runway wearing collections for different designers.

    In addition, Ogunwusi explained that they would be launching our first UK trade Expo this year.” It is called Beyond Fashion UK Expo and we decided to do that because, over the years, fashion has been beyond just showcasing models and designs on the runway. So we are trying to explore the entire chain of the fashion industry. We will be starting that on the 27th of October and it is going to be about Commerce and Culture. The keynote speaker is going to be His Imperial Majesty, The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ogaga the second and our venue is the Institute of Directors in London”.

    Government participation and support have also been sought to make the event a success”. “ The event has been endorsed by the Nigerian High Commissioner in the UK and we are expecting endorsement from the Ministry of Trade and Investment here in Nigeria and we have partnered with the House of Rep on the Cottage Industry and empowerment as well. So, there are loads of organizations. We are going to be having delegates coming from Nigeria to attend because we want to kickstart with the Trade Expo, then we have the fashion shows and one of the Headliners like House of Sota is going to be showcasing on the runway. Then 29th which is the final day, we will have the Lifestyle Awards in Collaboration with African Fashion Week, London. It is more of entertainment, just to close the whole event this year”.

    They are also talking to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, the Bank of Industry, other stakeholders, and the Private sector. “We feel that it is important for them to help us showcase our MSMEs within the Creative sector.

  • Celebs wear black to protest sexual harassment at Golden Globes

    Celebs wear black to protest sexual harassment at Golden Globes

    With the ongoing reports on sexual harassment, which have had many popular faces emerged to share their stories, the just concluded golden Globes Awards held on Sunday, held history as celebrities stormed the red carpets with black sophisticated gowns to show their support against sexual harassment.

    Known for celebrating the best in film and television, this year’s Golden Globe Awards was dominated by one topic: sexual harassment against women.

    Various celebrities arrived at the event on Sunday wearing black in a show of solidarity against the culture of sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry, with several men donning pins in support of the “Time’s Up” initiative.

    First-time host Seth Meyers told the audience as he opened Sunday’s show in Los Angeles, “It’s 2018: marijuana is finally allowed, and sexual harassment finally isn’t,” the NBC “Late Night” host said to applause.

    Capping off the evening as she introduced the night’s biggest prize, the award for Best Motion Picture Drama, singer and actress Barbara Streisand delivered a stirring message to the celebrity-packed room.

    “I’m very proud to stand in the room with people who speak out against gender inequality, sexual harassment, and the pettiness that has poisoned our politics,” she said.

    “I’m proud that our industry, faced with uncomfortable truths, has vowed to change the way we do business.

    Film producer Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K. were just some of the prominent entertainment figures to face allegations of sexual harassment, assault or misconduct last year in a wave of accusations that swept through Hollywood and prompted the #MeToo movement.

    Several winners used their acceptance speeches to address the hot-button issue.

    “For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men. But their time is up,” Oprah Winfrey declared as she accepted the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award. “Their time is up!” Winfrey said to a standing ovation.

    Laura Dern, Best Supporting Actress winner for HBO’s “Big Little Lies,” said: “Many of us were taught not to tattle. It was a culture of silence and that was normalized.”

    “I urge all of us to not only support survivors and bystanders who are brave enough to tell their truth, but to promote restorative justice. May we also please protect and employ them. May we teach our children that speaking out without the fear of retribution is our culture’s new north star,” Dern said during an emotional speech.

    Nicole Kidman, who also picked up a Golden Globe for her role in “Big Little Lies,” told the audience: “I do believe and I hope we can elicit change through the stories we tell and the way we tell them. Let’s keep the conversation alive.”

    “Handmaid’s Tale” actress Elisabeth Moss, who won in the Best Actress in a TV Drama category, quoted the author of the book that inspired the apocalyptic Hulu series.

    Afterward, she said: “Margaret Atwood this is for you and all the women who came before you and after you, who were brave enough to speak out against intolerance and injustice, and to fight for equality and freedom in this world.”

    Last week, a bevy of A-list actresses — including Reese Witherspoon, Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman, among others — writers and female entertainment execs announced the creation of “Time’s Up,” an initiative aimed at combating systemic sexual harassment.

    Many actors and actresses also participated in a sartorial show of force at the awards ceremony, opting to wear black in support of “Time’s Up,” and as form of silent protest against sexual harassment in Hollywood and beyond.

    Another highlight of the night was the profound speech, of the world’s most influential woman Oprah Winfrey; the media mogul’s acceptance of the career honor defined the evening more assuredly than Seth Meyers’ able if understated performance as host, or any other moment in the three-hour, eight-minute broadcast.

    Thundering through a speech that cut through the perfume of self-congratulation and social justice-as-accessorizing, Winfrey hit the pause button to remind the audience just how much work still needs to be done. She acknowledged the awe-inspiring power inherent to standing on that stage, describing how she felt at seeing Sidney Poitier accept such recognition so many years ago. Without pretentiousness, she recognized what seeing her occupy that same rare air meant to younger women determined to take their shot in a world that long has stacked the deck against them.

    Then Winfrey used her power to invoke the name of a black woman unknown to most: the main subject of the 2017 documentary “The Rape of Recy Taylor.” Briefly recounting the story of her case, Winfrey explained that in 1944 Taylor was walking home from a church service when she was abducted by six armed white men, raped, and left by the side of the road.

    Through the NAACP and the efforts of Rosa Parks, Taylor sought justice that was denied her but, Winfrey revealed, she died 10 days ago, shortly before her 98th birthday.

    “She lived, as we have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men,” Winfrey said. “For too long women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up.”

    Has the Globes ever been capable of genuinely moving viewers to tears? If so, it’s been a long while. Expecting Winfrey to deliver a rousing oration is reasonable, but the level of emotional release sparked by her words felt unprecedented and necessary. Entertainment industry visibility has been crucial to maintaining the momentum of #MeToo and keeping the conversation about gender inequity alive and top-of-mind, but Winfrey employed her singular talent for bridging privilege and fame to everyday people, cementing the night’s efforts as something more than simply fashion. Her gratitude at the honor bestowed upon her was exceeded only by her honest deference to the labors of all women who quietly keep going while enduring abuse, “because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue.”

    It was entirely in line with an evening that balanced the completely expected with a few moments that were refreshingly unpredictable, starting with the symbolic sartorial blackout for the Globes red carpet and ending with Natalie Portman’s sucker punch to the nards in the wake of Winfrey’s speech. As if she knew people wondered how anyone could follow that tour de force, Portman introduced the Best Director category at Ron Howard’s side by way of brightly stating, “And here are the all-male nominees!” with wicked precision. “The Shape of Water” director Guillermo Del Toro won the category this year, but Portman won the sisterhood for the foreseeable future.

    That also means Winfrey was the only woman of color to go home last night with an individual honor from the HFPA.

    Sunday night’s telecast of the awards exemplified everything great and awkward about the industry’s highly publicized efforts to confront the surge of sexual harassment scandal and embrace the age of #MeToo.

    As planned and well-publicized, the pre-show couture parade of black gowns, many relatively demure in comparison to past showings, provided a respectable show of solidarity with the embattled women of the world.

    Social media captured it under the umbrella of #WhyWeWearBlack, part of supporting the recently established ‘Time’s Up initiative’, a celebrity-backed effort dedicated to confronting abuse of power and promoting equality in the workplace.

    Several nominees brought activists as guests, notably Meryl Streep, who walked the carpet the director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Ai-jen Poo, and Michelle Williams, who was joined by #MeToo founder and civil rights activist Tarana Burke.

  • Inferiority: The African ailment

    Inferiority: The African ailment

    I wonder how long Africa will be plagued by inferiority complex, and fixated to the begging bowl, with all her rich cultural and spiritual heritage? Like the renaissance era of the developed countries, it is high time Africans built Africa.

    Although, one cannot draw objective conclusions about Africa using a small sample size – Nigeria. However, for the purpose of this article, the writer has decided to focus on Nigeria.

    So much for colour!

    The colour black, regardless of how deep and beautiful it can be have been unjustly associated with everything evil.

    In fact, the melanin of the African people is sometimes seen by racists as a weapon of destruction; for as long as you are black, you are automatically consider and adjudged guilty.

    Also, children are still being taught today that almost anything “black” is inherently evil, in fact, to our educators, it is perfectly okay to use the word “black” to describe evil. In accordance with this teaching, “a black person is considered the black sheep of the family, and should be black listed”, in accordance with this teaching, “illegal market is black market (as if only black people do such business).

    Sometimes the environment conditions the African child (in this case, Nigeria) to develop a low self-esteem relative to children in developed countries.

    The minds of the African child have been grossly polluted and destroyed by a powerful force, that powerful force is inferiority complex.

    Let us present a Nigerian medical doctor and an American medical doctor to a sick Nigerian, and ask him to choose the doctor to treat him, most likely he will choose the American doctor. Why? Because he has been educated to believe that white men are superior.

    Even by comparing the leadership style of African and American, one also observes another aspect of lack of self-confidence. Specifically, one notices that while American leaders wisely prioritise their investment options; considering local investments first before foreign investments. On the flip side, African leader squander their countries funds on “corrupt investments” in foreign lands.

    Why? This is because of the miseducation of the Africans minds; African soil is considered an “Unsafe haven” while America is “A safe haven”…what a lack of confidence!

    Bottom line: Polluted African minds accept that by nature, Africans are normal human beings while Americans are extra ordinary.

    No wonder a part of the letter by Lord Macaulay to the British Parliament in 1835 read “…if the Indians think that all that is English and foreign is good and greater than theirs, they will lose their self-esteem, and become what we want them to be – A truly dominated nation.

    Coming down to Nigerian leaders, who rob their own people only to deposit the loot in America and as a result of this, money that could be have been used to make “safe heavens” are being taken out of the county.

    What Nigerians do not know is that the “safe heaven” in America did not come as a result of wishful thinking, but is the direct result of tireless research engineered by true patriotism of its leaders and elites.

    Why can’t Nigerian universities make numerous discoveries? It is a shame that Nigerian universities can’t make razor blades, even water pumps, and yet we have PhD’s above the ground, let’s dream big.

    However, safe heavens will not emerge by miracle when teachers are being starved, library empty, research thoughtlessly abandoned, and universities senselessly shut down for several months each year due to strikes.

    Furthermore, Nigerian leaders and educators must stop using black as a symbol for evil, rather they should start teaching their children that black is beautiful just as any colour.

  • Black is Beautiful

    Black is Beautiful

    Say it loud, I’m Black and proud’, ‘Young, gifted and black’, were among the songs that rocked the 60s and 70s. Black awareness waxed strong in the 60s and the ripples were felt in the 70s and beyond.
    Those were the years of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X – the years blacks in the Diaspora (especially in the US) were clamouring for civil rights. By 1968 ‘Black is Beautiful’ was the mantra among both black men and women or anyone having a drop of black blood in him/her.
    In New York City, London, Paris and other cosmopolitan cities, it was fashionable to be black and every black woman wanted to be a ‘Soul Sister’ à la Angela Davis – big Afro hairstyle. It is this awareness that gave Black & Beautiful its title. The writer speaks to black sisters (and also brothers) all over the world about the dignity and elevation of the black race. The topics covered by the writer, ranging from which foods to eat to get a beautiful black skin and how to look after one’s body, are relevant today and tomorrow.
    The writer starts off with a poem of Leopold Sedar Senghor, the poet-President of Senegal. Senghor was known for the beautiful lines in praise of the African woman. Senghor’s poems are mostly on Negritude – that which makes the black man black, be it music, culture or tradition – that which speaks to the inner man of the black man. Senghor was married to a white French woman while Ayo Vaughan-Richards was married to a white English man. That much they had in common. Could it be marrying out of their race that made them appreciate their ‘Negritude’? That’s a story for another day.
    Ayo Vaughan-Richards was a nurse. In fact, she was the first principal of the Lagos State School of Nursing on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, (from 1982 to 1987). It was during her days that she was inspired to write the book ‘when students and colleagues came to’ her with their problems which mainly concerned beauty and fashion.
    She was also a Director of Johnson Products Nig. Ltd, a ‘leading manufacturers of cosmetics and hair products for Blacks’. To her credit, only once in the book did she propose a product of this company as a beauty product.
    Writer says: “Real beauty radiates from within you”. Then she goes on to say that “Beauty of the external body is ephemeral, whilst beauty of the soul is eternal”. She counsels her sisters to try as much as possible to avoid stress. She advises them to be: Strong; Self-disciplined; Self-confident; and Ready to accept responsibility.
    “Diet”, she says, “is the lynch pin of our health and beauty” and “good health depends upon our eating the right kinds, right amount and right combination of food”. She believes a good diet will do more for your looks than the most expensive cosmetics. The writer counsels black women to take responsibility for their health and not be used as the dustbin or indeed guinea-pig for an uncaring pharmaceutical company.
    She suggests homeopathic alternative to those prone to side-effects from habitual use of chemical anti-malaria tablets. She gives tips on how to correct our eating habits. She also talks about consumption of vitamins. She describes the vitamins one by one and warns, “… there’s no point in consuming quantities of vitamins if your diet is well-balanced”.
    From the writer we learn that exercise became acceptable and even fashionable among Nigerian women between 1976 and 1986. She says that regular exercise improves the capacity of your lungs, will sharpen your intellect, give you confidence and help to protect you from stress and fatigue. She says exercise is fun and suggests exercises like walking, jogging, yoga, swimming and dancing. But she still maintains that exercise alone would not make a woman slimmer. It should be combined with nutritious diet. Sketches of exercises (by one of the writer’s daughters, Pinky) are on pages 38 to 41.
    She comes to Posture and says ‘a woman with poise is a woman with good posture’. She then goes on to show how that poise could be achieved from walking and feeling ten feet tall, sitting pretty and tips on facial exercise to give a woman a good facial expression.
    Writer believes that black women are blessed with beautiful skin and that if they have not had a life of ‘unremitting suffering or starvation’, they still look gorgeous at 50. This brings to mind that classic quotation of the famous black model, Naomi Campbell “Black don’t crack”. Writer says that rapidly accelerated ageing in a black woman could be as a result of illness, bad diet and pollution. She says that our skin is a mirror of our health and well-being. Throughout this long chapter in which she even deals with Harmattan and its effects on the black skin, not one mention was made of shea-butter used by the African woman (especially during this season) for skin-dryness. Neither does she mention the use of lime as cleanser by some black women. In her Daily Beauty Routine she also omits some products such as: coconut oil, palm kernel oil, shea butter, camwood and black soap known to feature among products used by black women for the body or the hair. Could this omission be attributed to her position as the Director of Johnson and Johnson Nig. Ltd, makers of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products?
    Writer believes that the hair, like the skin, is the good indicator of one’s state of mind and says also that the head is the seat of spiritual power in most African societies. She advises the black woman to consume foods rich in vitamins and supplements. Only in this chapter does writer mention local plants, oil and fats ‘as a base for pomades’.
    She gives some tips on how to mask the grey hair. It is also in this chapter (seven) that the reader can feel the writer as coquettish, social, a little bit mischevious (especially with the masking of grey hair and adding ‘a splash of gold or bronze’ to look stunning with an evening dress or traditional cloth). Her advice “never henna your hair if you use any of the other colouring agents or if you have grey hair” will not be accepted by some black women e.g. Somali and Ethiopian. It’s the same ‘orange-red’termed ugly by writer that henna users want instead of grey.
    Writer regularly says, “In some traditional African societies” without giving either location or name. This is frustrating to the reader who wants point of reference.
    Black & Beautiful is a politically-correct book. Hair relaxers were – and are still being – used by both black men and women to have straight hair like whites. Writer doesn’t say this. Is it because of her mixed marriage? Having said that, I’ll like to end with the writer’s advice that, ‘we should never allow long exposure to other cultures to completely change our attitudes to our own’.

    •Afolabi is a writer/culture advocate.

  • Between black and grey hairs

    On September 10, the people of Edo State will line up to decide who succeeds Governor Adams Oshiomhole. Already fight has broken out in the two major political parties in the state. Men who want the coveted seat are already breaking or planning to break one another’s head, all in a bid to outsmart the other. Blackmail, mud-slinging and name calling have started.

    Men who were friends some months back are now sworn enemies. Families are being torn apart all because of this seat that comes with enormous influence. Enemies of a few months back are becoming allies. Principles do not matter. The end will justify the means.

    Many are searching for godfathers forgetting that there is God the father who can do and undo, who when He says yes nobody can say no.

    Before Oshiomhole’s emergence, the governorship of the state was not decided by the people. It is not that the people were not allowed to cast their votes. But the votes never truly counted. Results that were contrary to the will of the people were written in bedrooms and foisted on compromised electoral officers.

    Oshiomhole was robbed in a similar manner. It took the courts for him to get back the seat. Now, Oshiomhole is packing his bags and I have got a dilemma. My dilemma is not about electoral robbers. My dilemma is about the people who are coming out to seek the office. At the last count, there are over 20 of them. But a cursory look at them all gives me a headache. It is not that they are not qualified to run the state. It is just that their ages make me wonder if the young will ever grow. They are mostly men in their late 50s and 60s. Their hairs are grey already. And I ask myself: where are the Donald Dukes of Edo State? Duke became governor of Cross River some months to his 38th birthday. He is 54 now, some 16 years after quitting office.

    There is power in youthfulness. As a youth, you are daring and not afraid of experimenting. And what is life without experiment? There will be nothing like Science or Chemistry without experiment and we will just be contented with what we have and not seek new ways of doing things.

    It took a youth for history to be made in America. Its first black leader, Barack Hussein Obama II, was born on August 4, 1961. He is 54 now and will vacate office early next year after being president for eight years. What this means is that he became the leader of the world’s most powerful country at about 46. Before then, he was a senator — a confirmation that he has been in political leadership position since his youth.

    Before Obama, there was Williams Jefferson Clinton, who we all call Bill Clinton (Clinton, by the way, is his step-father’s surname). He is 69 years now.  He left office as American president some 15 years ago. He was some 54 years at the time. Before then he was governor. He won the governorship in 1978 at 31 and became the youngest governor the country had seen in 40 years.

    In the United Kingdom, there was Tony Blair; there was Gordon Brown; and there is now David Cameron. All young people when their people trusted them with running their lives.

    Cameron, now in his second term, is 49. He has been the UK Prime Minister since 2010. He became the leader of perhaps the world’s second most respected nation at 43.

    For those who will say the youths do not have experience to handle such sensitive office, the Clinton story will suffice. When Clinton set out to be governor, he decided on an ambitious agenda to reform education and health care systems. He won and as governor he was hampered by his youth and political inexperience. He made several blunders. One of them was the poor handling of riots by Cuban refugees interned at Fort Chaffee. Another was the highly unpopular fee hike on auto licenses, which he instituted. So much were these errors that after his first two-year term (At the time, Arkansas governors served only two-year renewable term), he was defeated in 1980 by a little-known Republican challenger, Frank White in 1980.

    But he never gave up. He went to work at a law firm for two years and staged a come-back. He admitted his errors and promised to right his wrongs. Arkansas people gave him a chance and they were better for it. They were so pleased with him that this time Clinton held onto the job for four consecutive terms.

    And before anyone will ask about the local examples, I will return to Donald Duke. This dashing man, who was governor from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007, is son to Henry Etim Duke, the second indigenous and longest ever serving Chairman, board of Customs and excise duties (now known as Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service). He received LLB degree in 1982 from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; the B.L in 1983 from the Nigerian Law School, Lagos and the L.L.M. in Business Law and Admiralty in 1984 from University of Pennsylvania. He was practicing law in Lagos before the call of office took him back to Calabar, which he made the cleanest city in Nigeria.

    Like Clinton, he was not experienced. He made his mistakes but till today he is remembered for his contributions to the fields of agriculture, urban development, environment, investment drive and tourism. No one else can take the credit for Calabar being seen as the “cleanest city in Nigeria.”

    Duke created the idea of the Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race, which has now grown to become one of the most lucrative mountain running competitions in the world.

    It will be unfair of me to end this piece without giving two more examples from Cross River, which seems to have perfected a model of always giving the number one seat to a young man. Duke’s successor and friend, Liyel Imoke, showed what youthfulness can do to the way a state is run efficiently. His successor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has started well too. With his like, I am proud to be young and be at the fore-front of the campaign for our youths to be given chance to lead.

    There is also the young Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Luke Onofiok. He is a young guy of 37. He is a lawyer and community organizer who right from school had shown leadership qualities.

    Many of our early leaders, such as Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and so on were not Metusellahs when they burst onto the political scene. The likes of Gens. Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida and Olusegun Obasanjo were in their youths when they took over power. Their hairs were still black. Gowon was even unmarried, indicating he was still ‘grooving’ about town when he became the Head of State of a country whose problem was not money but how to spend it. I can go on and on.

    As this edition prepared to go to press, a Daniel jumped into the Edo political lion’s den. His name is Linus Idahosa. He is 37. I have checked his CV and it speaks volume. His imprints are all over what is now known as new Nollywood. He is husband to adorable Stephanie Linus, the brain behind the great flick ‘Dry’.

    As Edo decides, I urge the young ones to participate, not just as party men and women but as aspirants and candidates. If the big parties shut them out, the not-so-popular ones are there. They can make them popular like Idahosa plans to do with the Young Democratic Party (PDP). I agree the odds may seem high but I urge them to come up with unusual campaign strategies. Above all, they should not rely on godfathers but have their gaze on God the father, who knows all and can do everything.

    My final take: All said and done, I will be the first to admit that there are young people who have been given opportunities and they have failed big time. Some are failing as you read this. They are looting and squandering their people’s money. They have committed and are committing all kinds of atrocities that give the old ones the excuse to play Robert Mugabe. I am ashamed of them and will always be. But that is not an excuse for the youth to be contended with being used as political thugs as we are seeing in Rivers or be contended with being special assistants that no one listens to.

     

     

     

  • Borno’s black Saturday: 11 yrs after

    Let me from the start make it clear that I am writing this feature from a dual position. First as a writer and then as the Chairman of the Committee of the Affected Victims of the February 18, 2006 sectarian riot whose memories rather than abate are in the upward trend even after over a decade of the unfortunate incident. This is more so when the event is strongly perceived as the fore runner of the current Boko Haram insurgency now ravaging the North East of the country.  February 18,2016 marked the eleventh year of the Borno Black Saturday, the day the sanctity of man was defiled, veil of peace torn asunder and the Borno philosophy of “Home of Peace and Hospitality” shattered to “Home of Pieces and Hostility”.

    The day will not just go. The memories are always there. They are memories of sadness, memories of misgivings, memories of injustice, memories of man’s inhumanity to man and memories of promise made and promise broken.

    February 18, 2006 will not just go. It was the day Borno State of Nigeria re-enacted or replayed the “Sharpeville Massacre” of the notorious regime of apartheid South Africa. It was the day a very dark cloud of smoke accompanied by dead silence hung over the city of Maiduguri. It was the smoke of the burning of bodies of our innocent brothers, sisters, children, husbands, wives, churches, homes, stores, cars and other valuables. It was the day when in a twinkling of an eye Maiduguri recorded unprecedented numbers of orphans, widows, widowers and refugees in various parts of Maiduguri with no place to lay their heads and nothing to eat. The day was indeed a reminder of what Shakespeare called the “architecture of ruins”.

    It was a black Saturday indeed, especially for the Christian community of Maiduguri metropolis and the entire Christian community in Borno State and indeed for men of conscience. The black Saturday will not just go because the blood of the innocent souls that perished has constituted a nightmare to the authors, sponsors and mentors of this bloody carnival and the murderers who murdered the innocent sleep “will sleep no more.”

    The black Saturday refused to go and is raising more questions than answers, especially to erstwhile Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, who was on ground and indeed a living witness to this dastardly act on the fateful day and pledged to compensate the innocent victims of this unprovoked attack but swallowed his words. He prevaricated with the lame excuse that he was waiting for federal government’s financial assistance until he left office.

    Talking of the dark clouds of silence that hung on Maiduguri on the black Saturday reminds one of the visit of Pope Benedict VI in May (2006) to Auschwitz. This place (Auschwitz) was a concentration camp in Poland during the Second World War where millions of Jews were gassed to death by the Nazis. In an emotion laden speech, Pope Benedict declared: “To speak in this place of horror, in this place where unprecedented mass crimes were committed against God and man is always impossible . . . in a place like this, words fail, in the end, there can only be a dead silence, a silence which is itself a heartfelt cry to God: why Lord did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this? How many questions arise in this place! Constantly, the question comes up: where was God in those days? Why was He silent? How could He permit this endless slaughter, this triumph of evil”.

    February 18, 2006 means  different things to different people. To many outside Borno State, it was a normal day that started well and ended well. But to the people of Borno State, especially the inhabitants of Maiduguri, the state capital, it was a day of comedy to some. It was a day of tragedy to some; it was a day of triumph to some; it was a day of misfortunes to some; to some, it was day of defeat and to some, it was a day heaven came crumbling. To the victims of February 18, 2006 who were mostly Christians, it was a day of baptism by fire and a day the Satan was let loose, ran amok and wreak havoc.

    This day, a group of insignificant elements with deep rooted prejudices against the Christendom and acting on strict directives of their alleged devilish inspired sponsors or mentors unleashed on innocent souls an unprecedented holocaust. And before the shout of Jack Robinson, Maiduguri was neck deep in inferno, bloodletting, man’s inhumanity to man, terrorism, looting, arson and to say the least barbarism. It was a grand design conspiracy carefully thought, carefully planned, carefully mapped out, carefully directed and meticulously executed. The action was spontaneous and exact in all the areas affected.

    Apart from the incalculable damage to property and other valuables, the gruesome murder of innocent souls occurred in many residential compounds.

    There were conflicting figures on the number of causalities and extent of destruction. For example, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Borno State Chapter, 56 churches were destroyed, while residences, shops/restaurants, hotels and offices, numbering about 100 were razed and about 100 souls perished.

    But, according to the chairman of the state government high powered committee of inquiry into the incident, Ambassador Ahmad Baba Jidda, the Secretary to the Borno State Government, “35 residences were destroyed, 52 churches were burnt down, 14 shops raised and vandalized, seven hotels were also raised and three offices, including a library was destroyed”.

    The committee also said:”21 persons were confirmed killed, 61 others sustained various injuries and were treated and discharged, 254 suspects were arrested during the mayhem, out of which 176 were released on bail and 76 have cases to answer”. According to Ambassador Jidda, 16 memoranda were received from individuals and organizations. The Jidda committee put the cost of the property destroyed at N1, 446,145,735.00.

     

    Delivering a paper at the EYN Church on February 18, 2007 at Wulari, Maiduguri, as the guest speaker at the one-year memorial service on February 18, 2006 sectarian riot, Reverend   Dr.   Mathew   Man-Oso   Ndagoso   regretted   the insensitivity of former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff to the plight of the victims of the unfortunate incident. He noted that it was sad to note that after the governor had pledged several times to compensate the victims, he went back on his words. The reverend warned on the consequences of the repeat of February 18 episode.

    Today, after over a decade and in spite of passionate appeals from well- meaning Nigerians, including traditional rulers, clerics and statesmen, to the authority for compensation to the victims, the dark cloud of silence that hung over Maiduguri Black Saturday subsists and will not go as it awaits justice and fair play.

     

    • Victor Izekor, a public affairs commentator, writes from Maiduguri at victorizekor@gmail.com

  • The sands of time

    Shortly after former President Goodluck Jonathan stepped into office in 2010, following the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, his most pressing challenge was appointing an electoral umpire. With the nation’s experience in the hands of Prof Maurice Iwu, Nigerians were praying that Jonathan should not make a wrong choice. They wanted an electoral umpire with integrity and sagacity. Riding on the crest of public goodwill, Jonathan, at every opportunity, promised to give us a man of honour; a man who will not sell his conscience for a mess of porridge.

    When he finally named Prof Attahiru Jega as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman in June 2010, many agreed that he made a right choice.  But will Jega do the right thing? Or will he follow the footsteps of many of his predecessors, who saw their position as an opportunity to enrich themselves? These were some of the worries of the public, who reasoned that our electoral fortunes lie in the hands of the INEC chief.

    For a free and fair election, the INEC chief must, like Caesar’s wife, be above board. Where the umpire is of questionable character, the electoral process is at risk. He will destroy a process, which, by virtue of his position, he is expected to protect.  In the discharge of his duty, the INEC chairman must be purpose driven; he must be ready to make sacrifices and to step on toes.

    It goes without saying that he must be uncompromising. Herein lies the enormous responsibility thrust upon the INEC chief and this is why many are against the appointment of such a person by the sitting president. But no matter how we all feel about the issue, it is a constitutional duty, which only the president can discharge. They prefer that the INEC chief be appointed by persons that will not contest election to ensure transparency of the process. Their fear is that where the president, who is the appointing authority stands for election,  the INEC chief may be favourably disposed to him.  Simply put, he may rig for the president?

    Such fears are not unfounded. We run a system where he who pays the piper calls the tune. We have seen how in the past electoral umpires openly showed bias for the government in power because of the belief that they owe allegiance to the administration whose head appointed them and not the country. The way Iwu conducted the 2007 general elections remain a reference point. Those were no elections. Iwu did everything to ensure that the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) returned to power all because he was appointed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo whose body language indicated that he wanted the late President Yar’Adua to succeed him.

    What Iwu did not know is that he did not have to kowtow to the government of the day in the discharge of his duty. The INEC chair is constitutionally protected as long as he does his job conscientiously.

    Where an electoral umpire is open and transparent the people will know; where he is corrupt and inept they will also know. The people are no fools; they can see what is happening, no matter what the INEC chair or those in power may say. The INEC job is delicate; it is also a thankless job and a grave yard of reputations.

    Many have gone in there and come out with their reputations rubbished. This is why those lucky to get the job must do it honourably. Jega, Iwu’s successor, has shown that one can hold that delicate job and still come out with his head held high. We cannot call Jega a saint because saints do not walk the face of the earth, but he proved that you can be an electoral umpire without bringing opprobrium unto yourself. He acquitted himself well  in the two elections he conducted in 2011 and a few months ago.

    His conduct of the last general elections is especially commendable. It was his calmness in the face of extreme provocation on March 31 that saved a smooth electoral process from being truncated by forces of darkness led by  a so-called Elder Godsday Orubebe. Jega navigated the landmines planted by Orubebe and his comrade-in-arm Col Bello Fadile and ensured the successful conclusion of the March 28 presidential election. If those landmines had exploded, we would have had another June 12 on our hands and another long, dark night. Thank God for Jega and his superb handling of the situation.

    No good thing lasts forever. Last Tuesday, Jega bowed out after a successful five-year tenure. He has left a worthy legacy, which his successor must not only build on, but also strive to surpass.

    Black Friday

    As they sat inside the bus, their minds would have travelled far. They would have thought of the things they would do once they get home. After a tedious first semester, they needed time to cool off and prepare for the second semester. Their first semester examination would have occupied their minds and their discussions during the trip. In their subconscious minds, they would have reflected on how they answered some questions and attempted to award themselves marks. That is the way of students. After examinations, they sit back and assess their performance and play the examiner by grading themselves. You could imagine the fun the students were having as the 18-seater bus left the garage for Lagos. It is a journey usually done under one hour, if the traffic permits. But on this day, the trip ended even before it began.

    Inside the bus were nine students of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ago Iwoye, Ogun State. There were three other passengers with them, including the driver. The journey had started well until they got to Ilishan. Since the bus was Lagos bound, the driver never expected that any vehicle going towards the Benin end of the expressway would share the same lane with him. So, before he knew what was happening a container-laden truck driving against traffic had run into him. The unlatched container fell on the bus, killing eight of the nine students and the remaining passengers. It was a monumental tragedy in which some promising young Nigerians were killed in their prime. How can we console the bereaved families? What do we say to the parents of these students? It is sad to have lost these students in such a way. My heart goes out to their parents.

    May the late students – Eunice Odubanjo Oluwadamilola (200-Level Political Science), Mariam Omolade Ogunnoiki (100-Level Education), Yetunde Aribiola Elizabeth (100-Level Biochemistry), Suliat Adams Oluwatobi (100-Level Accounting), Funmilayo Pampam Latifat (100-Level Chemical Science), Christiana Asade Ibukun (200-Level Law), Ayoola Sheriff Gbolahan (100-Level Agricultural Engineering) and Olatunji Dairo Michael (400-Level Physics) rest in the bosom of the Lord. We wish the accident’s lone survivor, Akinbo Laughter Ibukunoluwa (300-Level Chemical Science), speedy recovery. May this ginger the government to move against these killer truck drivers. They have done enough havoc on our roads.

  • Black is a huge colour trend for men this season

    Black is a huge colour trend for men this season

    Despite the array of colourful designs on the fashion scene, black has been one of the biggest trends for men this season.

    Whether it is vibrant or dull, there are plenty of men who love to look and rock this look. Black combo is a fashion trend that you wouldn’t want to miss. It is classy and sexy.

    Since the beginning of this year, the whole world has hopped on board the all-black madness train: suits, trousers, natives,  shorts, tops, shirts, full-on dresses, all made of black.

  • Black Saturday: A survivour’s story of narrow escape

    Black Saturday: A survivour’s story of narrow escape

    One year after the tragic immigration job exercise that claimed 15 lives and injured so many young Nigerians across the country, Yetunde Oladeinde takes a trip down memory lane with one of the victims.

    In search of a better future, some youths thronged the venues of the Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment exercise on March 15, last year. For them it was an opportunity they had been waiting for, an opportunity they believed would bring them closer to their dreams. Unfortunately this was not to be. The poorly organised recruitment exercise resulted in an unprecedented crowd disaster that eventually led to the death of 15 young Nigerians, who had thronged the various centres across the country.

    Onyebuchi Collins, one of those who applied in the 2014 exercise tells his story: “I applied last year at the Lagos centre online and paid the N1000 fee at Fidelity Bank, Allen Avenue. My wife also applied and we were very hopeful. When we saw the advert for recruitment, we were excited and fulfilled all the necessary requirements. On the fateful day we went to the National Stadium in Surulere. It was fun and we felt like young corps members at the orientation camp once again. We had to identify self, submit all the documents brought and we were shocked to see them just dump the applications in the open space.”

    Collins adds that: “When they started distributing the forms, people were falling over themselves. We could not stand well and everybody just had to scribble something in the forms that was provided at the venue. A lot of people sustained injuries; while others lost valuables, while trying to submit their scripts and leave. A number of us realised at that point that what they were doing was just formality. Thereafter, confusion set in. Many asked them to refund the N1000 but nothing has happened. I am still jobless, one year after; and my wife had to resort to all kinds of things for survival. She is a graduate of Accounting from Nsukka.”

    Collins also said he also did the Nigerian Ports Authority examination in Enugu. “I travelled all the way last year to do the exams. I applied in Lagos but they posted me to Enugu to sit for the exams, I met a lot of people there and the crowd was also like the Immigration recruitment. We have not also heard from them and when you get to the Ports authority office in Marina, they keep telling you that there is no information. I don’t want to apply for the NIS job again because I do not have faith in the process. I have been discouraged. Before now, my wife and i worked in a bank, but there was a cash lite policy and we both lost our jobs in 2011.”

    One of the questions begging for answers is the need for application fee from poor applicants before job placement, consideration this is all happening at federal parastatals and institutions, run by citizens’ tax money. Sadly, it would be recalled that the same thing happened in 2010, when the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) advertised vacancy in some positions and slammed a price tag for applicants. “It is a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul, especially for positions that are over-subscribed. Where do they expect unemployed graduates to get money from? Where is the much talked about hope for youths by our leaders? This is all very frustrating,” says Vivian Adigun who has been in the labour market for about five years.

    Interestingly, a year after the disaster a fresh Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment exercise is ongoing and in fact ends today, Sunday March 22, 2015. Tagged Massive Graduate Recruitment, the three categories to be filled are: Superintendent Cadre, Inspectorate cadre and Immigration Assistant cadre. This year, the application is free. A statement posted online by the presidential committee assisting the recruitments states that “No payment is required to submit an application; any person who seeks to submit application or obtain appointment via other means does so at his or her own risk.” 37 locations are listed across the country and many wonder if the same process used last year would not be used again.

    Belated succour

    Ironically, the Federal Government last week doled out the sum of five million naira to each of the families that lost their relatives in the tragedy last year. The question on the lips of many is why the present administration has not sanctioned those who sent innocent job seekers to their early graves after extorting them. “It is sad that all those involved in the scam have not been brought to book. The Interior Minister, Mr. Abba Moro who presided over the project is still in office and it makes us ridiculous as a nation”, says Biodun Bakare another unemployed graduate.

    In 2012, the NIS did not advertise the vacant posts in the agency. Then the service explained that it wanted to avoid a repeat of the rush during the 2006 recruitment exercise when many applicants also died. The aftermath of that was that, the service came under intense heat for allegedly allotting slots to the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan and favouring applicants from the South East, where the then NIS comptroller, Rose Uzoma hailed from and other top government functionaries.

    Frustration and anger took over and the drumbeats of enquiry into the matter came from different quarters. For a while it looked like justice was close by, but till date the principal actors have not been brought to book. Many continue to exploit the unemployment situation in the country, promising jobs that do not exist, and reaping bountifully there-from.

    Mid-last year, three people were paraded in Abuja for allegedly duping job seekers of more than N930, 000 on the pretext of offering them employment into the service. “We want to bring to the notice of the public that people are going about trying to trick Nigerians that are eager to get jobs. We have one who has been going about offering fake letters of employment to people from Edo State, claiming they would give those jobs in the Nigeria Immigration service. The issue of employment in the NIS has been well documented, there is a presidential committee that is already looking into this,” David Parradang, the comptroller General of the service said.

  • ‘Our close shave with death in Kano school’s black Wednesday’

    ‘Our close shave with death in Kano school’s black Wednesday’

    After enjoying relative peace for some time, the ancient city of Kano was in shock penultimate Wednesday as terrorists invaded the Federal College of Education, killing no fewer than 15 students and leaving no fewer than 34 others in critical conditions. The dreams of the deceased students were cut short, while their parents and guardians were subjected to agony, just as the injured ones wreathe in pains in various hospitals in the ancient city.

    Reliving the incident during our correspondent’s visit to one of the hospitals where the injured victims were being treated, a 12-year-old sachet water vendor, Abdul Nasir, said he was hawking water within the premises of the school, when he heard the sound of an explosion.

    Nasir, a Primary Five pupil, said: “I was in the school selling pure water when I suddenly heard a bang. It was very loud and then there shootings and people in front of me were being killed. I kept running until I managed to climb a tree and hid myself in its branches.

    “I later came down with some injuries. That was why they brought me to the hospital. I am a primary five pupil. I went there to hawk because we are on holiday.”

    Narrating his miraculous escape from the attack, a History lecturer at the institution, Chief Ojimba Chinyeremaka,  said he elected to speak on the issue as a way of glorifying God and testifying to His goodness. He said: “God in His infinite mercy did a miraculous thing for me, my family, friends and relations. Let me make it clear that I am not speaking to journalists for political reasons. I say this because I don’t want people to misconstrue my intention.

    “I did not have lectures on that day; but I went to school to do other academic works. I felt it was around 1:15 pm when it happened at the New Site where I was. I heard the noise of students. I took time to listen and the noise was unusual and persistent. I came out to inquire what was actually happening and then, I saw people, students, lecturers and other people I could not identify running helter-skelter.

    “Deafening sounds of blasts and gunshots rent the air. I joined the race in order to save my life. Gunmen were firing sporadically, and from the storey building where I was, I held a pillar and started rolling down. Other people joined me on the same pillar and there was a crash as heaps of human beings fell on me. It was at this point that I sustained a first degree injury on my right leg. My right leg got broken because I was trapped.

    “I begged for help but where could my help come from? Who would help me when everybody was running for dear life? At this point, I saw a gunman stoutly built coming heavily on me. He was at close range.

    “Miraculously, God gave me the wisdom to apply self-defence mechanisms. At that point, I fell down and started jacking as if I was dying, pumping out all the saliva in me so that my mouth was foaming. Seeing the heavily built gunman beside me, I bent my neck and he felt I was dead. But even at that, he was not satisfied seeing a supposedly dead man with a heavy wound on his leg. He targeted my left leg and fired two shots at it. Miraculously, the shots missed their target.

    “Let me reiterate that the wound I sustained on my right leg was not as a result of gunshots from the deadly terrorists but a result of the stampede as we were all struggling to roll down the pillar from the upstairs.

    “I was left alone in the struggle to survive, because every other person left the place. I was there until one of the campus security men came and took me near a classroom. He also felt jittery and left. I crawled into a classroom and hid myself behind the door until some soldiers and policemen came to my rescue.”

    As our correspondent left Chief Ojimba’s place, he made straight to the headquarters of Deeper Life Bible Church on Egbe Road where some Christian brethren gathered for the wake of one of their own, a District Pastor of Deeper Life Church in Kano, Dr. Thomas Kayode Ajamu (59), a native of Ogbomosho in Oyo State who was shot dead by the terrorists.

    Until his death, Dr. Ajamu was the Head of Department of Christian Religious Studies at FEC, Kano. The hundreds of Christian worshippers who gathered for the wake, described the late Ajamu as a peaceful, God-fearing, humble, easy-going, respectful and down-to-earth man.

    Another victim and student of the institution, 35-year-old Mohammed Kawu, said he was in the lecture hall with other classmates when an unknown face made an attempt to enter the hall but the security men on duty insisted that he must be screened. He went berserk and started shooting sporadically.

    “I am a student in the Department of Arts and Language. We were receiving lectures in the Philosophy of Science when the intruder pulled out a gun and started shooting in an uncontrolled manner.”

    Kawu, an indigene of Hadejia in Jigawa State, who suffered a gunshot in the thigh, recalled that three of his colleagues were shot dead, while another one passed away while receiving medical attention at the Muritala Mohammed Specialist Hospital.

    Mubarak Ado, a 23-year-old student of the institution, recalled that the incident occurred at about 1: 45 “as lectures were on and we were all seated in the lecture theatre. Then we heard a loud explosion. The explosion was followed by gunshots. We all began to run for safety. In the process, I sustained a fracture.”

    A survivor, Mojeeb Mohammed, who gave an insight into how he escaped from the terrorist attack, said it was a miracle. He noted that there was a twin explosion, which was accompanied by gunshots within the school premises.

    He said: “Lectures were going on when the explosion happened. We started scampering into safety. I managed to run for my dear life. I scaled the high fence around the school and it was after I got home that I realised that I left my motorcycle behind.”

    Hundreds of motorcycles were abandoned in the school premises. So also were cars. Our checks revealed that among the dead was a head of department, Dr T.K. Adamu, and a senior lecturer whose identity could not be ascertained.

    The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr Aderenle Shinaba, who also visited the scene on the day of the attack, confirmed that 15 students were killed, while 34 others were seriously injured.

    According to him, at about 1:30 pm on that day, some unidentified people climbed the fence of the Federal College of Education, Kano, and jumped into the premises, where they started shooting sporadically to scare the students. Eventually, he said, one of the two suicide bombers gained entry into one of the classrooms and set himself ablaze, killing 15 of the students and injuring 34 of them.

    Shinaba said the other suicide bomber went to an open space where he set himself ablaze. Fortunately, most of the students had run away and the suicide bomber only killed himself. He said that two AK 47 rifles were recovered from the scene.

    A Federal Government delegation, led by the Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, noted that there was need for a renewed strategy in the effort to curb the untimely death of innocent students who he described as the leaders of tomorrow .

    His words: “It is unfortunate that the trend we are experiencing is that institutions of learning are being targeted. It is most unfortunate and I am sure that all of us, federal, state and security agents are all concerned. We have put our hands on deck to ensure maximum safety of lives and property in our institutions.

    “We see this trend as another challenge to whoever is concerned to further go back to the drawing board to ensure additional strategies to detect evil doers and protect the lives and property of the young ones in our institutions.

    “We were here this morning on the delegation of the Federal Government and President Goodluck Jonathan to extend our sympathy and condolences to the families, staff and management of this institution for losing numerous innocent students to the attack of insurgents.

    “We also sympathise with the wounded ones who are currently receiving treatment at various hospitals, and the entire community which has been seriously traumatised by this incident. However, it is our prayers that Allah in His infinite mercies grant the souls of the departed ones peaceful rest and grant their families, friends, associates and entire community of this college the strength and fortitude to bear this great loss.

    “We also pray that He gives strength to those that are wounded in the attack, May Allah continue to protect our community, May He protect the lives and property of the entire citizens.“

    Mallam Shekarau told reporters that security of lives and property is not a one-sector affair. “It is the business of everybody from the Federal Government to the state and local governments and the communities. Everybody must be concerned.”